Storm Wardens
The Storm Wardens are a ''Codex Astartes''-compliant Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown origin and Founding located on the Forbidden World of Sacris in the Calixis Sector of the Segmentum Obscurus. The Storm Wardens are stoic defenders of Mankind often found upon the borders of the Imperium. Until just recently, these Astartes were most focused upon the great Warp Storms that troubled the Halo Stars region of the Segmentum Obscurus on the galaxy's western edge. There, they protect Imperial frontier planets from the predatory actions of xenos, Chaos Renegades and Heretics. They are often unknown and unsung heroes to the worlds that they defend, as the Storm Wardens are a highly insular Chapter and there are only a small handful of monuments and Imperial records outside of their fortress-monastery on their homeworld of Sacris' moon of Highcastle that celebrate their long list of battle honours. The world called Sacris is classified as a Forbidden World by the Adeptus Terra, though it was originally a Feral World of highland moors and dark, gloomy swampland. It is inhabited by primitive human tribes of warriors who gather around charismatic clan warlords and continually battle for supremacy in the planet's shadowy swamps. The tribes of Sacris have a fierce code of honour and deeply believe that a man's word is his bond. The tribes worship the Emperor of Mankind as a stern divine father who judges the souls of all men by their strength at arms and the purity of their honour. The culture of Sacris has had a strong impact upon the Storm Wardens, as many of the Chapter's Neophytes come from the tribes. It is not uncommon to see Storm Warden Scout Marines with woad-painted faces like those of the native tribes. Humans are not the only inhabitants of Sacris, however; a sizeable colony of the Abhuman Ogryns survived on the planet's rocky southern continent, possibly the descendants of Ogryns owed a debt of honour as the result of an ancient oath sworn by the Storm Wardens before the Nemesis Incident. Whatever the truth of their origins, the Storm Wardens do not show the usual Imperial distaste for Abhumans and have fought beside many Imperial Guard regiments in the past that included units of Ogryns and Ratlings. At the present, automated Imperial orbital beacons encircle Sacris, declaring the world forbidden to all traffic and communion with the wider Imperium and spreading rumours that the planet is home to a deadly plague. The reason for this deception is unknown, save for the fact that it was Owin Glendwyr's final command as Chapter Master. Later Chapter Masters have continued this false quarantine, though they do not know the purpose for it or what danger Sacris might present to the rest of Mankind. The Storm Wardens maintain their fortress-monastery on Highcastle, the single ivory-coloured moon that orbits above Sacris. Crenellated Gothic towers surmounted by Gargoyle-Servitors define this great stronghold. Inhabited by all the Storm Wardens, it holds massive chambers where the Chapter's many vehicles and wargear are maintained. The fortress-monastery's halls bear a multitude of blank banners and deep scars left behind by the Nemesis Incident. Highcastle's lower halls (the term refers to the fortress-monastery as well as the moon of Sacris) extend deep below the moon's surface and contain the automated nanofurnaces that provide the raw materials and physical conditions necessary to craft new weapons and vehicles for the Chapter, overseen by the Master of the Forge. Deeper still are the stasis chambers, though none but the Storm Wardens' Dreadnoughts know their true location. Highcastle is a seemingly impregnable citadel, although much of the fortress remains inaccessible and unknown, even to the Storm Wardens. The age of Highcastle is difficult to determine accurately, but the fragmentary records remaining to the Chapter from before the Nemesis Incident reveal that Highcastle was present in this part of the galaxy even before the Angevin Crusade and the resulting formal incorporation of the Calixis Sector into the Imperium of Man. Chapter History of the Storm Wardens Chapter]] The Nemesis Incident In 945.M36 the Storm Wardens aided the Inquisition in operations against an infestation of Enslavers, psychic entities from the Warp, in the Steropes Cluster. What came to pass in the alien Steropes' cyclopean ruins is unknown but shortly after the Storm Wardens returned to Sacris, something endangered the Chapter and potentially the Imperium itself. At the conclusion of the Nemesis Incident, the Storm Wardens' Chapter Master Owin Glendwyr discussed with an Inquisitor Lord of the Ordo Xenos what needed to be done. A dire decision was made. By the authority of the High Lords of Terra, Glendwyr had much of the interior of the Storm Wardens' fortress-monastery on their homeworld of Sacris' moon of Highcastle sealed. All records of their history, the Primarch from which they descended and the date of the Chapter's Founding were destroyed or hidden away. Furthermore, the Storm Wardens' homeworld of Sacris in the Calixis Sector was forbidden to have contact with the Imperium at large. Following this, according to the only record of this time that still exists, the sacred history of the Chapter called the Liber Tempest, many Storm Wardens, including the entire Veteran 1st Company and Chapter Master Owin Glendwyr himself, were placed in hidden stasis vaults. The Chapter's Venerable Dreadnoughts have taken vows of silence and stand guard over these hidden chambers. The only details of this event that would later become known as the "Nemesis Incident" are to be found within the pages of the Liber Tempest, a 77 volume tome describing the deeds of the Chapter and the lives of its heroes throughout the turbulent years of the Age of Apostasy in the late 36th Millennium. This mighty book was authored by Chief Librarian Brin Maxen, who had himself become so crippled in body during the fighting that he was capable of no more service to his Chapter than committing his wisdom to parchment before his wounds eventually claimed his life. It is said that Maxen held death at bay for almost twelve years as he recited the Liber Tempest to his disciples of the Librarius, each of his followers transcribing his words faithfully. Yet, the very fact that several versions of the Liber Tempest were written simultaneously led to a near schism within the Librarius after Maxen’s death. When the texts were studied in detail it was discovered that they differed from one another in several major details. The differences were not mere errors of transcription, but were so great that Maxen’s successor came to suspect some outside agency of deliberately corrupting the transcription process, or of interfering with the archives at some later point. Yet, the Librarius of a Space Marine Chapter should be one of the most secure and sealed places in the entire galaxy and surely nothing short of the supernatural could have altered Maxen’s words once they were committed to record. Following the discovery of the divergent accounts of the Nemesis Incident, the senior members of the Librarius undertook a process of determining which of them, if any, was truthful. This process took the best part of a standard century, and was made all but impossible by the facts of the incident itself. Eventually, one single version of Maxen’s account was declared the truth, and the others labelled apocryphal and locked away deep inside the inner repository of the Storm Wardens’ Librarium. Each of these divergent tomes became known by the name of the Librarian that had compiled it, such as the Apocrypha of Yorath, the Book of Einion, and the Liber Esoterica Cadfanius. The Liber Tempest details the calamitous events of the Age of Apostasy, as experienced by the Storm Wardens Chapter. The Nemesis Incident represents a brief but dramatic period within this turbulent epoch, and the Liber ''presents very few details of it. The roots of the incident are to be found in the general increase in Warp Storm activity that afflicted the Imperium in the run up to and during the Age of Apostasy. Trade routes the length and breadth of the galaxy became all but impassable as the Warp boiled with tumultuous etheric storm fronts. Entire war fleets and crusading armies were lost as the Warp routes they travelled were overcome with impossible energies. In many areas the raw stuff of the Empyrean bled through the thin skein of reality and engulfed settled worlds or entire systems. The more fortunate were simply cut off from all outside contact; the less fortunate were saturated in the terrible unreality of the Warp, entire populations spontaneously mutating or falling victim to apocalyptic daemonic incursions. Aside from aetheric overbleed, genetic mutation and daemonic incursion, Warp Storms sometimes bring with them the risk of another, thankfully rare, but utterly devastating threat. There exists in the depths of the Warp entities other than what men call daemons. Enslavers are one such form, a nightmarish hybrid of the xenos and the daemonic that exists for most of its life cycle within the Empyrean but breeds and multiplies in realspace. Enslavers utilise the minds of untrained or latent psykers, transforming their victim’s bodies into vast, distended gateways through which the Enslavers themselves pour from the Warp. Furthermore, they are able to take control of the bodies of their foes, turning them into drooling mindslaves that fight until overcome by their wounds, exposure or malnutrition. When Warp Storm activity increases, so too do the rates of psyker births, and so the Age of Apostasy was underpinned by a second horror – that of Enslaver infestation. This much the various versions of the ''Liber Tempest all agree upon, but the accounts begin to diverge at the point when the Chapter was committed to a region of space known as the Steropes Cluster. For the Space Marines, the Age of Apostasy was an extended period of retrenchment during which the pronouncements of the Senatorum Imperialis were replaced with the irrational dictates of the High Lord Goge Vandire. The vast majority of Astartes Chapter Masters became so distrustful of Vandire’s pronouncements that they were forced to pursue their duties without recourse to the central authority once provided by the council of the High Lords of Terra. Where Warp conditions allowed, Chapters coordinated their actions with brother Chapters or occasionally with the forces of the Inquisition, yet very few answered the commands or demands of High Lord Vandire. Most versions of the Liber Tempest agree that the Storm Wardens' Chapter Master, Owin Glendwyr, took his force to the Steropes Cluster in response to a reading of the Emperor's Tarot made by his Chief Librarian, but some texts call this into question, insinuating that the deployment may have been carried out at the behest of the Inquisition or some other faction within the Imperium’s shattered structure. Having reached the Steropes Cluster, it is said that the Storm Wardens discovered a swathe of worlds entirely consumed by the roiling energies of the Warp. Those worlds lying on the outskirts of the storm had come under the dominion of the largest Enslaver plague the Segmentum had ever witnessed, and Chapter Master Glendwyr was faced with a terrible choice — deploy his warriors in a battle that would undoubtedly prove costly in the lives of his warriors, or grant the doomed and enslaved populations the Emperor’s mercy and scour the worlds’ surfaces with the nucleonic fire of Exterminatus. Once more, the various accounts of the war differ in their descriptions of what followed. The Liber Esoterica Cadfanius contains a detailed account of Glendwyr and an unnamed Inquisitor Lord exploring a series of ruins across several of the cluster’s worlds, and this is corroborated by the Liber Tempest itself. No account of the ruins gives any suggestion as to which alien species may have built them, but all describe their halls as black and oppressive, and completely dwarfing even the mighty Space Marines. At some point during the exploration of these ruins, it appears that the Storm Wardens and an allied Inquisitorial force came under attack, first by a horde of enslaved human meat-puppets, and then by Enslaver Behemoths. The Chapter Master and the 1st Company fought a series of desperate battles against the Enslavers, during which many heroic Battle-Brothers were lost. Three entire worlds were cleansed of the xenos' presence, but ultimately the Inquisitor Lord declared the Writ of Exterminatus on seven more before the cluster was declared purged of the Enslaver Plague. In the aftermath of the Steropes Cluster campaign, the Storm Wardens returned to their homeworld of Sacris. Yet, by a reading of a number of the Apocrypha, it appears that the taint had not been entirely eradicated and that the 1st Company had in fact brought it back to the Calixis Sector. According to the Book of Einion, a number of 1st Company Veterans had become corrupted by some form of psychic taint, which was only uncovered during post-battle cleansing protocols. The Chapter’s most senior Apothecaries, Chaplains and Librarians turned their efforts to purging this taint, but, according to Einion’s account, the taint was too ingrained and presented a dire threat to the survival of the entire Chapter. Initially, the Inquisitor Lord was of the view that those infected should submit to voluntary liquidation, yet the Storm Warden’s senior officers argued vehemently against such a drastic sanction, and Glendwyr proposed a compromise. Having convinced the Inquisitor Lord of the viability of his plan, the Chapter Master ordered that he and the entire 1st Company would be interred within stasis sarcophagi in the vaults far below the Chapter’s Fortress-Monastery, which would not be opened until such time as a definite cure for the Enslaver taint was discovered. The Inquisition placed a condition on their acquiescence, demanding that the Chapter’s homeworld be isolated from the greater Imperium and all knowledge of the Nemesis Incident be purged from the annals of the Imperium’s history. Aside from those often contradictory accounts presented in the various Apocrypha, which are accessible only to the most senior officers of the Chapter, none outside of the Storm Wardens have any inkling of the tragic events of the Steropes Cluster campaign. There were a number of side effects to the sealing of the stasis vaults and the isolation of Sacris. Firstly, many of the Chapter’s oldest archives were sealed along with the 1st Company, so that millennia later the Storm Wardens remain ignorant as to many details of their Founding and earliest history. Furthermore, a number of legends have evolved around the incident, which form the basis of some of the Chapter’s most cherished rituals. One such legend states that the long-lost Brethren of the 1st Company will some day return, when the very existence of the Chapter and indeed the Imperium is threatened. The Chapter’s beliefs call upon its members to be ever vigilant for such a time and to meet with honour and stoicism every challenge the galaxy can throw at them. The Storm Wardens maintain their traditions to this day, seeking every chance to prove themselves in the eyes of those who they believe will one day return and judge them worthy of standing at their sides in the final battle against the myriad foes of Mankind. The Inheritors After the Nemesis Incident, the Storm Wardens rebuilt their 1st Company of Veterans. Those who joined its ranks became known as "The Inheritors," knowing that they represent their Chapter's honour until their ancestors awaken from their timeless slumber in stasis. Ever since the Nemesis Incident, the Storm Wardens have redoubled their diligence and their fortress-monastery of Highcastle now mounts sophisticated scanning technology reluctantly given by the Adeptus Mechanicus as payment for an ancient pact between the Tech-priests and the Chapter. Notable Campaigns *'Kraazgrug's Folly' (Unknown Date) - One of the most famous of the Storm Wardens' campaigns took place on the plains of the Agri-world called Keffik's World in the Scarus Sector. An Ork warband led by the Warboss Kraazgrug had been ravaging a number of settlements and threatened the food supply for an entire Sub-sector. Just before the Orks overran the last of the star system's defences, an Imperial astropathic distress signal was relayed to Sacris. In response, the Storm Wardens deployed several companies of the Chapter, supported by many armoured vehicles. These forces were placed under the command of Captain Lorgath Maclir as Force Commander (prior to his elevation to the rank of Chapter Master) and included a small group of Space Marines from the Chapter's elite 1st Company. Maclir's plan was to face the Warboss' Wartrukks and Warbuggies on the open plains of the planet's northern continent. However, the Orks' vehicles manoeuvered through the depths of a potent dust storm and Captain Maclir was forced to change his strategy. Using Scout Marine Bike Squads, Stormravens and Land Speeder Typhoons, Maclir used his swiftly-moving skirmishers to lure the main body of the Greenskins' army into a box canyon. The Orks and their Warboss were eliminated with an unrelenting hail of heavy weapons fire from the rim of the canyon and no Ork left the battle alive to trouble the peace of the Emperor again. *'The Cleansing of Vigil' (Unknown Date) - The Cleansing of Vigil was a singularly savage conflict that took place in the lightless tunnels beneath the surface of the Dead World of Vigil against the alien Slaugth and their warrior constructs. The conflict consisted of a series of bloody, close-range firefights in confined subterranean conditions. Due to these conditions, the Storm Wardens' favoured armoured vehicles were impossible to use and their advance became cautious and methodical. To make matters worse, the Slaugth forces seemed adept at provoking the Storm Wardens out of such careful tactics. The toll of casualties eventually grew high and this tested the morale of the Chapter. Despite their losses, the Storm Wardens finally pulled through and Vigil was cleansed of the Slaugth. Those Veterans who survived the Cleansing of Vigil have learned to pay closer attention to the wisdom of the ''Codex Astartes''. Chapter Master Lorgath Maclir promoted many of these Veterans to serve in his Honour Guard. Chapter Organisation rituals in their fortress-monastery on Highcastle, the moon of Sacris]] Recruitment The Storm Wardens descend from their fortress-monastery on Sacris' moon of Highcastle to the foggy moors and feral tribes below to hold a series of games and ritual combats to select only the fiercest and most intelligent warriors to join the ranks of the Adeptus Astartes. Often, Aspirants must struggle against the fen-trolls and other dangerous native animal life of Sacris during these trials, facing combat in the mist-covered moors in what is actually a combination of a running skirmish with a marathon race. The recruits must navigate past pockets of toxic swamp gas, through infestations of swarm leeches, across the quicksand-filled plains and then reach the Storm Wardens' landing site. Those recruits who survive that far then compete in the games that pit potential recruits against each other in contests of raw physical strength and skill at arms. Simply to be able to compete in these trials elevates the status of a man among the feral tribes of Sacris. Whether he succeeds or fails, he has tested himself against the greatest warriors on a harsh world and thus earned great respect. After passing the trials, many of these Aspirants take with them to Highcastle the Sacris claymore, an heirloom weapon given by the Storm Wardens to successful Aspirants as a reward for their tenacity that is cherished by the tribesmen. It is also common that when a Storm Warden dies, his claymore is ritually returned to his tribe on the homeworld. Many blades have earned great fame and a place in legend for their tribe in this way. Tempest Blades ]] A tradition has grown up within the Storm Wardens, based around the notion of the pursuit of the last duel. Warriors who have attained the acclaim of their entire Chapter are hailed as so-called Tempest Blades, and grouped together into special Veteran squads within the 1st Company. On the field of battle, Tempest Blade squads seek out the most powerful enemies and engage them in close combat, no matter the odds. Sometimes the enemy is a band of champions, in which case the Tempest Blades disperse to fight each foe individually, while at other times the enemy is so large and powerful that they must pool their power, though no others outside of the squad are allowed to intervene. Occasionally, the most senior Tempest Blade declares that he and he alone may engage the foe, his Battle-Brothers forming a perimeter around the fight so that none may interfere or influence the result. But Tempest Blades are far more than Veteran Squads, for they embody much of the character and aspirations of the Chapter. Each Tempest Blade is the inheritor of the teachings, honour, and often the wargear, of a named predecessor, following his example and passing it on by his own deeds. Thus, each Tempest Blade is said to be continuing the deeds of a particular ancestor, and none can be declared a member of this inner order of the Chapter unless they have proven themselves worthy of replacing the ancestor whose deeds they intend to emulate. Tempest Blades are masters of close combat and carry to battle the most sacred of relic weapons and Artificer Armour available to the Chapter. Many carry the huge claymore Power Swords symbolic of the warrior clans of Sacris. Every Storm Warden is skilled with the great claymores of Sacris, and many strive to master the subtleties of wielding so large and deadly a weapon. Tempest Blades have perfected the use of such weapons, wielding large, heavy implements of destruction deftly and gracefully. Others bear Thunder Hammers, Power Axes, glaives, or halberds, all distinctly two-handed Power Weapons. Because they bear such oversized weapons, the Tempest Blades must rely on their own skill at parrying or avoiding enemy attacks, some becoming adept at utilising the hafts of certain weapons to turn an enemy’s blow. It is the aspiration and most cherished dream of every Tempest Blade to earn a place in the Lexicon Heroica, a great tome maintained by the Librarians of the Storm Wardens Chapter. In the pages of this multi-volume archive, the deeds and the manner of the death of the greatest of heroes are written, and it is through the chapters and verses written therein that the Tempest Blades follow and continue the traditions of their ancestors. Each studies the deeds of a particular figure of legend and seeks above all else to live up to the example set by his predecessor. Thus, a continuous lineage is established, examples from thousands of standard years ago driving the Chapter forward. Of course, the earliest volumes of the Lexicon Heroica are missing, sealed away beneath the Chapter’s fortress in the wake of the Nemesis Incident. It has been observed by some outside of the Storm Wardens Chapter that there is something tragic, almost fatalistic, in the traditions of the Tempest Blades. Each is engaged upon a quest that can only end in his own death. The Tempest Blades themselves might counter that it is the manner of a warrior’s death that defines him. They hold the belief that only at the moment of death does a warrior gain true insight, learning the limits of his own ability and in so doing knowing himself as no other warrior can. For this reason, the Tempest Blades hold those interred within the sarcophagus of a Dreadnought as especially holy, for these Astartes have experienced the point of death, gained the ultimate insight, and returned to fight on. For many Tempest Blades, such a fate is the ultimate revelation, and one they yearn to attain as the culmination of their own service. It is not unusual for Tempest Blades to take the Apocryphon Oath and take up the Long Watch of the Deathwatch, for in so doing they might reasonably expect to encounter foes no warrior has previously faced and test themselves against truly unique challenges. In the service of the Deathwatch, a Tempest Blade carves his own legend, transcending the traditions of his forebears so that one day, his own deeds will be studied by future generations and his name recorded in the hallowed pages of the Lexicon Heroica. Storm Warden Librarians fighting against a Chaos Space Marine of the Black Legion]] Like their fellow Astartes Chapters, the Storm Wardens also maintain a Librarium of potent psykers who are highly talented and trained to master the power of the Warp at the highest levels. Each Chapter selects its Librarians in its own way, either from seed worlds, as it does with the bulk of its Initiates, or from the ranks of gifted psykers brought to the Scholastica Psykana. Most Chapters train and test chosen psykers following the ancient ways laid out in the Codex Astartes. Librarians of the Storm Wardens are trained in this way, and, with few minor variances, have been taught to live by the word of the Codex. Storm Wardens Librarians have a number of unique psychic abilities only used by the psykers of their Chapter: *''Ancestor's Rage'' - Calling upon the talents of dead heroes, a Storm Warden Librarian is able to instill within himself or another Astartes exceptional skill at arms. *''Call to Arms'' - Plunging his will into the Immaterium, the Librarian calls forth ancestral spirits to fight at his side. *''Crown of Lightning'' - The Librarian encases one of his foes in a crackling cage of lightning, searing his flesh and contorting his muscles. *''Hammer of the Emperor'' - With the power of an orbital barrage, the Librarian calls down a mighty hammer of psychic energy with the power to lay waste to entire towns. *''Mark of Scorn'' - The Librarian casts a curse upon one of his foes, marking him for death at the hands of the righteous and causing his combat abilities to degenerate. *''Thunder's Shell'' - The Librarian covers himself in a reactive psychic shield that gets stronger the more force that is brought against it. Halo Stars Garrison The Storm Wardens currently have their attention as a Chapter fixed on the great Warp Storms that plague the Halo Stars near the Calixis Sector's borders. The frontier worlds that border them are protected by the Storm Wardens from xenos threats, Chaos renegades and heretical recidivists. Because of the Storm Wardens' insular nature, only a very small number of monuments and documents celebrate their often heroic defence of these worlds. Deathwatch Service Like the feral tribesman they recruit from, the Storm Wardens value personal honour and strength at arms. The chance to challenge enemy foes in personal combat to test themselves, is of paramount importance to the Storm Wardens. Performing service in the Deathwatch, the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, provides ample opportunity for a Storm Wardens warrior to test his martial skills and his mettle against foes undreamt of. While fierce upon the battlefield, Storm Wardens are no less committed to the tenets of personal honour and obligation. Service to the Deathwatch comes naturally to the Storm Wardens, for they understand the dangerous duties inherent in performing the Long Watch against the vile xenos that would threaten Mankind. Perhaps because of their fondness for debate or their own turbulent history, Storm Wardens have an interest in mysteries and enigmas. This curiosity has led more than a few Battle-Brothers to volunteer for service to the Deathwatch as well. Chapter Combat Doctrine ]] The traditions of the Chapter mirror those of the feral tribes of Sacris, which place a strong emphasis on close combat and testing one's self against the strongest of foes upon the field of battle. The Storm Wardens are unemotional defenders of the Imperium of Man, often found at the outermost edges of Imperial space where they are needed most. Even amongst other Space Marines, the Storm Wardens are considered clannish and distant. They are slow to make friends but those who persist they respect and protect. A Storm Warden's word is his bond; honour, to him, is of the utmost importance. Storm Wardens are also meticulous planners of tactics and strategies, often spending the night before battle planning ahead, where other Chapters would be in deep meditation. In battle, the Storm Wardens lay aside any personal disputes and stick to the decided plan and, usually, they will seek out enemy champions and commanders to test themselves against. The military traditions of the Chapter strongly mirror those of the feral tribes of Sacris, emphasising close combat and testing oneself against the strongest foes on the field. Like most ''Codex Astartes''-compliant Chapters, the Storm Wardens perform well at all forms of combat, but they prefer one devastating strategy. Using heavy armour, their assaults use numerous Predator main battle tanks and Land Raiders. The enemy is first subjected to a savage but brief bombardment from either a Strike Cruiser in orbit or a strafing run by a Thunderhawk gunship. This pins the enemy in place for an armoured assault by the Chapter's Predators and Land Raiders, supported by Rhinos and Razorbacks carrying Tactical and 1st Company Sternguard Squads into battle. It is this armoured assault that has its roots in the tribal culture of Sacris. Many Storm Wardens use their armoured vehicles as steeds to carry them into combat, where they launch assaults against the enemy and fight according to the tenets of the Way of Honour. Their preference for fighting alongside their armoured units has led to many stunning tactical feats and also evens the balance of forces so that they can fight their enemy on more even and thus honourable terms. It is no surprise, then, that the Storm Wardens maintain a large number of Techmarines in their ranks and there is some speculation that, like the Iron Hands, the Storm Wardens have a closer relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus than other Astartes Chapters. Chapter Beliefs The Way of Honour ]] The Storm Wardens, like the feral tribesmen they recruit from, value personal honour and physical strength at arms over all. Many Storm Warden Astartes prefer to challenge enemy commanders to single combat in order to test themselves against the mightiest of enemies. Storm Wardens often seek out single combat with a foe they consider worthy of the honour, although more than a few Veteran Sergeants and Captains have fallen against particularly dangerous opponents this way. As noted, the Storm Wardens are an unusually insular Chapter and rarely visit other worlds in the Imperium. In fact, the Calixis Sector is largely unaware that it is even home to an Astartes Chapter, with the exception of certain Inquisitors and the Sector Governor Lord Hax of Scintilla. Much of the Chapter's standoffish culture results from the Storm Wardens' deep sense of personal honour. Some Imperial analysts believe that these Space Marines prefer not to stain themselves through association with so many of the disreputable worlds of the sector that surrounds them. Despite their remote natures, the Storm Wardens rarely clash with the Imperium's other Adepta as Space Marine Chapters often do, having assisted both the Inquisition and the Imperial Guard in numerous campaigns and battles throughout the Imperium's history. Many Imperial frontier planets under dire threat from xenos or the Forces of Chaos have witnessed the incredible sight of the Storm Wardens' Drop Pods entering their atmosphere, each containing a squad of ten Astartes who will defeat the foes of the Emperor and defend Mankind. This is the true Way of Honour. While fierce upon the field of battle, Storm Wardens are no less committed to the tenets of personal honour and obligation. Generally considered clannish and aloof even by other Space Marines, Storm Wardens prefer to remain distant from the Imperium at large. A Storm Warden is slow to make friends, but esteems and protects those who persevere to become companions. Amongst the Storm Wardens, one’s word is his bond, and honour is paramount. The night before battle is often spent in meticulous planning of tactics and strategy, sharing quiet camaraderie amongst fellow warriors. Many of the most senior Battle-Brothers engage in ritualised duels so that the victor may gain a coveted place in the vanguard. Most Storm Wardens enjoy debate and crafting intricate points to support their arguments, although some outsiders see these tendencies as quarrelsome or insubordinate. However, once a course of action has been agreed upon, a Storm Warden will set aside any dispute and carry it out. Perhaps because of their fondness for debate or their own turbulent history, Storm Wardens have an interest in mysteries and engimas. This curiosity has led more than a few Battle-Brothers of the Chapter to volunteer for the Deathwatch. When battle begins, Storm Wardens Astartes fight with keen fervour, and often seek out an enemy champion or commander to test their skills against. Notable Storm Wardens *'Lorgath Maclir' - Lorgath Maclir is the current Chapter Master of the Storm Wardens, a cunning strategist who constantly challenges his captains with tactical exercises and who obsessively studies the Tactica Imperialis. Some rumours claim that Logarth managed to memorise these precepts of war, an impressive feat even with an Astartes' genetically-enhanced memory. *'Owin Glendwyr' - The Storm Wardens' former Chapter Master upon the conclusion of the Nemesis Incident five thousand standard years ago. Owin was placed in stasis soon after the incident in the Chapter's fortress-monastery on its homeworld of Sacris. *'Tarran Cearr' - Watch Captain Cearr is currently serving the Long Watch with the Deathwatch -- the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos - at Watch Fortress Erioch in the Jericho Reach. While he takes the mission of the Deathwatch very seriously, he has continued to further the interests of his Chapter by seeking to discover the truth behind the Nemesis Incident despite Inquisitorial sanction. *'Kynar Half-Hand' - Kynar Half-Hand is the Captain of the Storm Warden's 7th Company. Kynar arrived in the Achilus System with the vanguard of the Achilus Crusade. Within the Jericho Reach there are few who have earned a reputation for grim determination and uncompromising violence like that of Brother-Captain Kynar Half-Hand. *'Brand Mac Lir' - Brand Mac Lir won fame during the Cleansing of Vigil, and because of his experience fighting the foul xenos known as the Slaugth, he desired to join the Deathwatch. He has served 9 Vigils and now serves as a Watch Captain. In battle he wields the Chapter relic called Morwenna, a two-metre-long Sacris Claymore that has reaped a tremendous toll of alien blood. *'Deathwatch Forge Master Mac Zi Ven' - Mac Zi Ven is a Techmarine of the Storm Wardens Space Marine Chapter and a devotee of the Cult Mechanicus who has shown the touch of a true master in the arts of technomancy. His humble beginnings among the warrior tribes of Sacris led him to view technology as truly touched with divinity. In the ranks of the Storm Wardens it soon became clear that Mac Zi was gifted and he was quickly raised to the rank of Techmarine. Some of his Battle-Brothers mutter that Mac Zi shows more respect to the red priests of Mars than to his own Chapter, but Mac Zi’s contributions of finely-crafted weapons and armour win him many friends. Mac Zi volunteered for the Deathwatch to satisfy his growing hunger for knowledge. Now in the foundries and catacombs of Erioch he has access to a vast repository of data about both human and alien devices. He secretly views xeno-tech as only another tool for glorifying the Omnissiah, believing that any science can be turned to Man’s service once it is properly understood. Mac Zi has come to despise Deathwatch Forge Master Harl Greyweaver for the old Iron Priest's disrespect of the Machine God and narrow-mindedness. If Greyweaver should somehow lose his position as Forge Master of Erioch, Mac Zi would be ready and willing to take his place. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours The Storm Wardens have blue and white Power Armour with white trim and a white Imperial Aquila. Chapter Badge The Storm Wardens' Chapter badge is a grey lightning bolt imposed over a blue shield. Chapter Fleet *''Mark of Honour'' (Strike Cruiser) - Command ship of Captain Kynar Half-Hand and the 7th Company. Storm Wardens Relics *''Levin Shield'' - The Storm Wardens Chapter Master, Lorgath Maclir, once wielded the Levin Shield, a powerful, master-crafted Storm Shield. It is said he passed it to the Deathwatch in payment of an honour debt to Watch Captain Mordigael. This Storm Shield adjusts to the bearer’s bio-electric signature and uses his body as part of the circuit to generate its powerful energy field. The crackling nimbus protects the wielder while electrifying his foes. The Shield's kinetic repercussion plating also unleashes thunderous fury when struck. Sources *''Deathwatch'' Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 50-52, 168, 170, 199, 335 *''Deathwatch: The Achilus Assault'' (RPG), p. 134 *''Deathwatch: Honour The Chapter'' (RPG), pp. 23-24 *''Deathwatch: The Nemesis Incident'' (RPG Web Supplement) Gallery Storm Wardens Tactical Marine.png|Storm Wardens Tactical Marine Storm Wardens Officer.png|A Storm Wardens Captain Storm Wardens DW Apothecary.jpg|Storm Wardens Apothecary seconded to the Deathwatch 531_max.jpg|Storm Wardens Space Marine of the Deathwatch fighting Tyranids DW Kill Team Fighting.png|Storm Wardens Space Marine leading a Deathwatch Kill-team File:Storm_Wardens_swordsman.jpg|A Storm Wardens warrior in the heat of battle Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:S Category:Space Marines Category:Imperium Category:Calixis Sector